


Water Fountain

by orphan_account



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst?, F/M, Flashbacks, Rina Week 2020 (HSM: The Series), gina is sad, i forgot to upload this here, i miss them, ricky has to pick, ricky is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24312985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Where Gina asks Ricky to choose, and he chooses wrong.Or where Gina remembers how it all fell apart.(Based on Water Fountain by Alec Benjamin)
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Water Fountain

**Author's Note:**

> I very much forgot to upload this here after I posted it on twitter so please enjoy it if you haven't already read it.

Gina sat at the steps of her school, watching the few stars in the sky as they sparkled above her. She heard the faint sound of music coming from the building behind her and let out a sigh, staring back at her phone, waiting for a notification to pop up. She had texted him fifteen minutes ago, and still, nothing. She slid her phone back into her purse and stood from the steps. 

Gina walked. She didn’t know where, but she walked and walked and found herself somewhere she wished she had forgotten. She gazed up at the metal arch that had those gorgeous pink flowers wrapped around it, her eyes already filling with tears, but Gina refused to let them fall. Taking a deep breath, she walked under the arch and entered what was once her favourite place on Earth. The echo of her heels hitting the concrete walkway and the crickets hiding in the bushes were the only sounds filling her ears as she made her way towards the center of the park. The area was always empty, and Gina usually thought that it was a shame for so many people to miss out on the beautiful trees that were wrapped in lights and the flowers that bloomed from all corners, but not tonight. Tonight she was glad to be alone in  _ their  _ spot, although she probably shouldn’t call it that anymore.

As the marble water fountain came into view, Gina stopped in place, her heart begging her to turn around and go back to the school dance, to sit with EJ and Ashlyn and make small talk until it was time to go home, but she kept moving. The sound of the water running was usually soft and somewhat silent, but tonight it seemed more rushed, violent. Gina sat at the edge of the fountain, careful not to get her dress wet. 

Was there really any truth to the things he told her that night? Was he planning it all out from the beginning? He was going to build her up just to break her down. Maybe not. He wouldn’t do something like that. Ricky Bowen was a lot of things, but he wasn’t cruel.

  
  


**TWO MONTHS AGO**

“Ricky, where are you taking me?”

“Oh my God, can you please just shut up?”

“This is considered kidnapping.”

“I don’t think that’s true, Gi.”

Ricky laughed, untying the blindfold that was covering Gina’s eyes. He watched her closely, her face changing from confusion to awe in a matter of seconds. 

“Where are we right now? This is crazy. I feel like I’m in a Disney movie.” Gina covered her mouth as she began to walk forward, pushing through the shrubbery that covered the walkway. “Is that… Oh my God, that’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen!” She ran towards the fountain and sat on the edge, Ricky following closely behind her.

“I found it last week when I was on my way to the skate park. As soon as I saw it I knew you’d love it.” He sat close to her, looking at his feet.

“Well, I do. How have we never seen this before? We always take the same route to the park.”

“Ehh, I took a longer path one night.” Ricky scratched the back of his neck. He didn’t dare to make eye contact with her.

“Ricky…” Gina sighed, “Is it getting bad again?”

“It was always bad, Gi. Now it’s just worse.”

There was a pause between the two, where Gina’s head is full of thoughts because, wow, this would be the perfect place to finally tell Richard Bowen how in love with him I am, but there really couldn’t be a worse time. 

Gina shoved him slightly and smiled at the ground, “Hey, at least we have this awesome park now.”

Ricky finally looked up at her, silent for a few moments, before letting out a laugh.

Gina looked back at him and laughed along, “What? What is it?”

“Are you really trying to tell me that the bright side of my parents fighting is that we found a pretty park?” He was still laughing, more at Gina’s dorky laugh than anything else.

“That is  _ exactly _ what I’m trying to tell you.”

  
  
  


**ONE MONTH AGO**

“Pick up, pick up, pick up…” Gina mumbled softly, listening to the dial tone that played from her phone.

“Gi…? It’s four in the morning, what’s wrong?” Ricky spoke with a groggy voice, and Gina instantly felt bad for waking him. Of course he’d be asleep, what was she thinking?

“I… Uh… You know what? Never mind. Sorry for waking you. Bye.” She moved the phone from her ear and hung up.

She let out a sigh and threw herself back onto her bed, closing her eyes. Only a few seconds passed before her phone began to vibrate and the screen lit up with a picture of Ricky’s face. She picked up her phone and brought it back to her ear.

“Yeah?” Gina answered.

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you wake me up at four in the morning and have you  _ not _ tell me what’s bothering you.”

“I hate you, do you know that?” She laughed softly, hoping not to wake Ashlyn in the next room. “Any normal person would’ve just went back to bed and texted me in the morning.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, I’m basically the greatest friend ever, we know that already. Now just tell me what possessed you to call me at this hour and then act like nothing’s wrong.”

“You’re gonna laugh at me.”

“...Yeah, probably.” He chuckled.

“Bowen!” She whispered harshly.

“I’m joking!”

“Fine. I had a bad dream and I lost the teddy bear that my mom gave me before she left and now I can’t fall asleep…” Gina spoke quickly, waiting for his reaction.

“Okay, I’m gonna admit, that’s really cute. Like if we were texting I’d just keep sending you that emoji with the puppy eyes, you know the one? I always send-”

“Yes, I know the one, Ricky.” She rolled her eyes.

“But, I do feel bad…”

“Can you just… Stay on the phone with me until I fall back asleep? I don’t wanna be alone. I know Ashlyn is here but I don’t wanna bother her.”

The other line stayed silent for a bit, Gina hearing shuffling every few seconds.

“Ricky?”

“I’ll do you one better. I’ll be there in… eight minutes. Have your window open!” Gina could hear Ricky’s smile through the phone before he hung up.

As she waited, her smile didn’t seem to fade as her head filled with memories of the days where she and Ricky sat through rehearsals together as strangers, and how far they’ve come. From meeting at the skate park in the middle of the night, to finding their perfect spot, to right now, where Gina was trying to hold in her laughter as Richard Bowen attempted to climb through her bedroom window. 

A few small injuries later, Ricky was sitting on the edge of Gina’s bed, smiling like an idiot as Gina tried to convince him that it totally would  _ not  _ be weird if he laid down next to her. To her surprise, that was all it took, hardly a minute of convincing and having the weakest argument ever. Normally she’d push him away, tell him that that was way too easy, that he let her win, but not right now. Right now, all she could focus on was the way his arm slid over her waist, the way he held her close, the way she could feel his chest rising and falling against her back. She called him over to help her sleep, but all she did that night was lay awake, listening to Ricky’s soft snores, trying to wipe the smile off of her face.   
  


**TWO WEEKS AGO**

“Gina? Is everything okay?” Ricky crouched to his knees to meet her height as she sat on the edge of the fountain.

It was two in the morning and she had sent him an SOS text to meet at their spot. Usually, Ricky would be alarmed to receive a text like this at such a time from anyone else, but Gina wasn’t just anyone else, was she?

So now he’s kneeled on the pavement, trying to get her to look him in the eye and tell him what’s wrong, but it doesn’t seem like he’s really getting anywhere. Until she does. Until she sits up straight, wipes her eyes, and looks straight at him.

“I can’t do this anymore.” She says plainly.

“Wh- What do you mean?” Ricky’s taken aback. They were never  _ dating _ . They had never even talked about the possibility of going there. They were friends, and maybe Ricky wanted more, but things were… complicated.

“ _ This _ . Whatever it is. I can’t sit around and watch you go after her, again and again. It isn’t fair. You know that. I know that now, too.”

Gina is still looking directly into his eyes, and he can’t seem to look away as he sees just how red and puffy her eyes are.

“Gina, I-”

“No. Let me finish. It’s not  _ fair _ . I don’t even think you realize how unfair it is. There are these moments where I’m with you and I feel like I’m on top of the world, and those moments are good,  _ really _ good. But then there are these times where I feel like I’m looking for you in a crowded room and you’re never looking for me. I find you and instead of staring back at me with your stupid smile, you’re gazing at the back of Nini’s head, waiting for her to want you the same way you want her. That’s why I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep putting myself in these situations where the only outcome is you wanting someone else and me getting hurt… I’m sorry.” Gina gets up from the fountain, finally breaking her eye contact and heads for the metal arch.

“Really?” Ricky calls from behind her.

Gina turns to look at him, her eyes now full of tears.  _ He’s not going to win this. I won’t let him _ .

“You get to sit here and say all that and then you get to walk away before I can even respond? You wanna talk about fairness?” Ricky scoffs.

“I-” Gina doesn’ get a word out.

“No, now  _ you _ let  _ me _ finish. I know I’m an idiot, you remind me every day. I’m not good at this shit, Gina. I’m clueless when it comes to picking up on other’s feelings and I doubt every single thought that passes through my head, especially about you,” Ricky starts to move closer to her as her tears start to fall. “Trust me, I realize that’s no excuse for being such an asshole, or for chasing after someone who’s probably not even interested. I don’t know a lot right now, I’m confused. Things are… messy. They’re complicated. I’m still figuring things out.” He continues moving towards her. “But there’s one thing I know for sure. One thing I’m positive about.” They couldn’t be closer now if they tried. “That’s you. I love you, Gina Porter. I know that for sure.” Ricky wipes her tears, before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

When he pulls apart, he looks at her for some sort of response, but she just looks at him, eyebrows furrowed, cheeks still stained with tears.

“Gina?”

“What about Nini?” She takes a step back.

He takes a pause, reaching for her hand. “I- What do you mean?”

“I mean, if she were to come up to you at school tomorrow and tell you she wants to be with you, what would you do?” She pulls her hand back.

“Gina, you can’t ask me th-”

“No, I can absolutely ask you that. You say you love me, and not her, but how do I really know that, Ricky? How am I supposed to believe you? I told you, I won’t sit back and let you walk all over me. You need to pick.”

He blinks. “I need time to-”

“Two weeks. You have until the dance in two weeks. I can’t do this any longer than that.” She sniffles, before turning back around and leaving the park.

  
  
  


**PRESENT DAY**

Now she sat on the same fountain she had sat at so many times before, but there was someone missing. That someone was still inside EHS, dancing the night away with  _ her _ , all because he did what Gina asked. He picked. 

And maybe Gina could tell herself that he picked wrong. That this was the biggest mistake Ricky Bowen has ever made. That even though he picked Nini, she still wondered if she had a shot.

Perhaps she could take her phone out of her purse, check her lock screen, and get the answer to her question. If he answered her texts to meet him at the back of the school, then he would know he chose wrong, and if he ignored the messages, then it was really over.

But she doesn’t take her phone out, and she doesn’t check her notifications. Given everything that’s happened over the last two weeks, Gina knew that she didn’t want the answer. No matter what it was, Gina would still be there for him. She would do it all over again if she had the chance. 

The late hangouts at the skate park, where she would watch him as he ranted about his parents and asked for her advice because  _ they got each other _ . The hours they spent sitting at their fountain, and that one time an old lady saw them comforting each other and told them they were the most beautiful couple. The climbing through windows. The cuddling. The facetime calls. The car rides. The kiss. 

Despite everything he put her through, if he was to show up at the water fountain, she would love him all over again. 


End file.
